Keyboard for musical instruments.



PATBNTED DEC. 10, 1907. A. E. ADRIANCE. KEYBOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIOA'IIOI FILED AUG. 24, 1906.

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No. 873,146, PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

A. E. ADRIANGE.

KEYBOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APBLIOATIOI YILBD AUG. 84, 1906.

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ARTHUR E. ADRIANOE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

KEYBOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1907.

Application filed August 24, 1905. Serial No. 275,608.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. ADRIANCE, citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Keyboards for Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to key-boards for musical instruments, applied to the levers and keys, and consists in certain details of construction, all of which will be fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the draudngs, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a series of radial pivoted levers belonging to a chime ringing apparatus and to which my improved color scheme is applied, and Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a series of key levers, in a group, the spaces on such levers each having its note character.

Referring to the drawings, ldesignates the levers employed for ringing the bells of a chime and I have elected such levers to demonstrate the application of my improved color scheme to a musical instrument. The inner ends of the levers 1 are provided with the spherical knobs 2, upon which are cast or otherm'se placed, the notes of the corresponding bells, to which the levers are connected. The exposed inner ends of these levers 1, between the knobs 2 and the semicircular wall 3, through which they project, are divided into six equal spaces.

In the system illustrated in the drawings, I propose to employ six different keys, using a separate color for each key, for example; purple for the key of C, the notes of which are all naturals, red for the key of F, which is one flat, yellow for the key of G, which is one sharp, blue for the key of D, which is two sharps, orange for the key of A, which is three sharps and green for the key of E ,which is four sharps.

The group of spaces next to the knobs 2 are reserved for red to indicate levers used for the key of F, each. of such spaces being marked 1*, as shown in Fig. 1. The second group of spaces are reserved for purple to indicate levers used for the key of C, each of such spaces being marked 1), as shown in Fig. 1. The third group of spaces are marked y, for yellow, for the key of G, in a similar manner. The fourth group of spaces are marked l), for blue, for the key of D. The fifth group of spaces are marked 0, for orange, for the key of A and the sixth group of spaces are marked g, for green, for the key of E.

The color scheme, by which the keyboard is played, is as follows; The notes which constitute the key of F, for example, are represented by the color red on the lever 1, and by keeping in mind the key note F and the red group of spaces representing the intervals in the diatonic scale in such key, it is a simple and easy matter for the operator to manipulate the levers which are required to produce the necessary notes of the tune. To produce the same tune in one of the other keys, the operator has only to change his attention to the color on the levers, representing the intervals in the diatonic scale in such key, and confine his manipulation to the levers so marked or designated.

The colors on the levers are successively arranged to correspond with the musical relation of the keys to each other, so that no confusion is possible in changing from one key to another.

It is apparent that my improved color scheme is equally applicable to the keys of a )iano or organ, the keys being the mechanical equivalents of the levers which I employ in the chime ringing apparatus.

In Fig. 2, each lever has a series of spaces, six in number, and in these spaces are placed the note characters, which indicate the intervals of the diatonic scale.

I claim.

1. In an apparatus such as described, a chime of bells and a key-board composed of a series of levers connecting with the bells, having the upper surfaces of their exposed ends divided into a series of groups of spaces, the groups being distinguished from each other and the members of each group equidistant from the free ends of the levers, the characters in each group of spaces indicating the intervals of the diatonic scale, all combined and operating as and for the purpose stated.

2. In an apparatus such as described, a chime of bells and a key-board composed of a series of radial levers connecting with the bells, having the upper surface of their exposed ends divided into a series of concenname to this specification, in the presence of trio groups fiof spaces, the grfiups being distwo subscribing Witnesses. tinguished om eac other, t e characters in each group of spaces indicating the intervals ARTHUR ADRIANCE' 5 of the diat'onic scale, all combined and oper- Witnesses:

ating as and for the purposezstated. W. T. MILLER, In testimony whereof, I have signed my CHAs. GARVEY. 

